Mould Operandi — Ciszak Dalmas Studio

Ciszak Dalmas

Ciszak Dalmas

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Mould Operandi

Segovia, Spain

This second-year studio course in the Bachelor in Design program at IE University, led by Andrea Caruso and Adam Caplowe, focuses on material experimentation as a gateway to design thinking and craft. Guided by a hands-on methodology of learning by doing, students explored the behavior and potential of diverse materials including cardboard, wood, metal, plastics, and fibers through direct physical engagement.

The course structure was inspired by Richard Serra’s Verb List (1967), using physical actions such as bend, stretch, tear, or burn as a conceptual starting point. Each student selected a single material and developed a series of transformations based on their chosen action, eventually designing and building a mould that embodied this process. These moulds were named after the verbs that shaped them.

This year’s design challenge was to create a lantern for a candle, requiring students to consider not only form and material constraints, but also the interaction between object and flame. The resulting 24 moulds were transformed into glass lanterns in collaboration with master glassblowers from the Real Fábrica de Cristales in La Granja, including artisan Diego Rodríguez.

From initial abstraction to physical craft, and from individual exploration to collective making, the course emphasized iterative experimentation, sensory understanding, and the value of collaboration in the design process.

In collaboration with:
Adam Caplowe (2025) and Jorge Penadés (2024)

Experimenting Every Day